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  • The Final Word – It was a John Wayne kind of day for Mr. Busch at Martinsville

    The Final Word – It was a John Wayne kind of day for Mr. Busch at Martinsville

    Martinsville has been on the NASCAR calendar since 1948, the year before John Wayne truly hit it big in Hollywood. Both showcased a great cast of supporting characters over the years, and both have been synonymous with action. Sunday was no different.

    If Martinsville was The Searchers from 1956, Kyle Busch was its Ethan Edwards, the Wayne character who was determined, diligent, and successful in his quest. In the end, he crossed his arms and headed out into the sunset with his 35th career victory in a dominant performance that saw our defending champion up front for 70 percent of the picture.

    Kevin Harvick was a featured performer. He arrived a bit late, stayed near the front for a time, but in the end, he had to be content with 17th. You might remember Wayne’s 1962 picture The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. In the end, Jimmy Stewart rode off in a train, while Wayne’s Tom Doniphon, who actually shot the title character, was last seen in a pine box. Come to think of it, ole Tom was in that box when they started that film, so maybe Harvick got the best of it.

    There was 1972’s The Cowboys, with the Matt Kenseth version of Wil Anderson also a force to be reckoned with for 90 percent of the movie. Then things went bad for our hero, another hole got dug, and the cattle drive was left to others to decide as Matt finished 15th.

    John Wayne began his movie career in a 1926 silent called Brown of Harvard. The Duke played an uncredited role as a Yale player. Dale Earnhardt Jr. mattered for five laps, cut a tire and spun out, and went down a lap. It took him 300 laps to get it back, and the best he could do was 14th. Like Wayne, Junior was in the film, but you had to keep an eye out in order to catch him.

    The Greatest Story Ever Told was an epic 1965 story on Christ. It featured the likes of Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Jose Ferrer, and Telly Savalas. Then, after the Crucifixion scene, a centurion utters the words, “Truly this man was the Son of God” in a very familiar drawling voice. My God, it was John Wayne, in a skirt. At the end, some said the same thing when A.J. Allmendinger showed up in the runner-up spot, except for the skirt part. At least, we noticed the Dinger was in the vicinity, so it probably came as less of a shock.

    In 1949, Wayne played Captain Nathan Brittles in She Tied a Yellow Ribbon. He was an aging officer near retirement. Ben Johnson and Harry Carey, Jr. played Tyree and Pennell, a pair of up and comers of the next generation. They remind me of a pair who represent the future in this modern calvary, played Sunday by the fourth and fifth place finishers, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.

    Another driver had an interesting day. He got caught speeding early, managed to crumple up his hood a bit later, but in the end, he still managed a Top Five. Brad Keselowski took his lumps but came away with a decent result. This Rooster Cogburn displayed some True Grit (1968).

    Then there was John Wayne’s Alamo from 1960. I do not think I need to explain why Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin come to mind. Let us just say that 38 drivers did better on the day, including a 16th placed Danica Patrick.

    At least, everyone lasted 200 laps or more, so we could not cite 1931’s The Deceiver. In that one, Wayne had a brief role in the picture. He played a corpse. Thankfully, we no longer have start and park entries.

    If you got John Wayne on your mind, then it seems apropos that the boys and girl head back west to Texas for a Saturday night showdown. The last three straight races that have been run there, four of the past five, and five of the previous seven, were all won by Jimmie Johnson, the guy who finished ninth last weekend. I guess we have seen this movie before.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: STP 500 at Martinsville

    Surprising and Not Surprising: STP 500 at Martinsville

    Paperclips, hot dogs, and close racing. These are all the ingredients of another exciting Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, the oldest track in NASCAR. The 67th annual STP 500, the second oldest race in all of NASCAR, is in the books. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from Sunday’s event.

    Surprising: Kyle Busch finally won his first Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in his 22nd attempt. It’s his 35th Sprint Cup win and yet another weekend sweep as “Rowdy” had won the Camping World Truck Series race the day before.

    Busch, who is a month shy of his 31st birthday, has won 169 national touring series races (Cup, XFINITY, and Truck) in just 13 full time seasons. He is only 41 wins away from Richard Petty’s mark of 200, a record nobody thought could ever be broken. That being said, if Cup races were only being counted, Busch would need to win 165 more races to reach Petty’s 200; a near impossibility that would require Busch to go undefeated for nearly five seasons.

    Busch is also very close to becoming the first driver in NASCAR’s Modern Era (1972 on) to have won at every single track he has ever raced at in Sprint Cup. The only tracks he hasn’t won at are Kansas, Pocono, and Charlotte. He’s already won at both Kansas and Charlotte multiple times in XFINITY and Trucks as it is. The two closest to this mark, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, cannot achieve this as they never won at Rockingham Speedway when it was on the Sprint Cup calendar.

    Busch was proud of this diversity when he entered the media room following his win. But, of course, he wasn’t thinking just about Cup.

    “As far as being able to check off some more races, I checked off the truck series win yesterday,” said Busch.  “I never won here at Martinsville in the trucks.  I think I’ve concluded being able to win at all the active tracks that I’ve made a start in the truck series.  I believe that’s right.  And then I’ve got Watkins Glen left on the XFINITY side, and I’ve got I think three, Kansas, Pocono and somewhere — Charlotte.  Imagine that.

    “So it’s a pretty good problem to have. There’s not very many left on the list, but we’ve certainly put some emphasis on that over the past few years and being able to try to do that last year was a big year for us, knocking off a couple of those, as well. I’m pumped when I’m able to do that. I don’t know that many guys have ever been able to accomplish being able to win at every single active track that they’ve made starts at, and I look forward to trying to complete that feat.”

    Even so, Busch isn’t thinking too much about old Cup records, even when asked if he could match David Pearson’s 105 mark.

    “Man, I thought I’d get that question when I was like 75 or wherever the hell Jimmie is at,” Busch responded. “Y’all just asked Jimmie if he could make it to 100, I think last week or two weeks ago.  We’ve got a long ways ahead of us.  Let’s get to 50 first; how about that?”

    Not surprising: There were more accidents at Martinsville than at any other races so far in this young season. It all started off when David Ragan got into the fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. just six laps into the 500 lap endurance race.

    “The No. 23 pushed up in the middle of the corner and just barely touched us and it cut the left-rear tire,” Earnhardt said following the race. He battled for much of the day to get back on the lead lap and ended up 14th after pitting on the last caution.

    Some of the other incidents included Brian Scott knocking Michael Annett into the wall, Regan Smith’s two wrecks, and shockingly, favorite Denny Hamlin.

    “It’s my first time ever doing it here, so it’s a little embarrassing, but I mean we were the fastest car those last 30 laps and we got back to the top-five and I was making up a lot of my speed on entry,” Hamlin said about his misfortune on lap 222. “As the tires wear, the rears get hotter, less grip, you can’t brake at the same amount and I, just – it was really out of the blue. I didn’t ever have a hint of it up until that moment, so a bit of a rookie move on my part – been around here too much to do something like that, but learning for the fall and I’m really encouraged about how good our car came up through the pack and I really thought we had a car that could win.”

    Surprising: AJ Allmendinger ended the day second after spending most of the race in the top 10. It matched his record finish at a NASCAR oval, another runner-up finish at Martinsville in 2012.

    It’s the Los Gatos, California native’s first top-five finish since his win at Watkins Glen in 2014.

    “Well, Brian Burns and Tony Palmer, my crew chief and race engineer last year, they were just at a bit of a disadvantage,” Allmendinger said, reflecting on what has changed since last season at JTG Daugherty. “We didn’t have the personnel to have the cars where we needed them when they left the race shop, exactly where they needed to be, getting put into the hauler and getting brought to the racetrack. Ernie (new competition director, Cope) is really good.  He’s had a relationship with RCR working there, and obviously, when he worked with Kevin Harvick and they had the truck and Busch teams at the time.  So he’s been really good about making sure we got what we need for the race cars and built the way they need to be to the specs that he wants them and things like that, and Randall, for a first-year crew chief, you wouldn’t really know it.  He’s great on the box.  He calms me, which shockingly I don’t know if you guys know that, I probably need that sometimes.

    “It doesn’t seem like he’s only done this for six races. They’ve brought a lot, but it’s not just about those guys. Brian Burns and Tony Palmer, they stepped back into new roles and instead of feeling like they were downsized or demoted they’ve stepped up and embraced it.”

    Kyle Larson, who ended the day third, had run top five all day before moving up on the final restart.

    “Yeah, it was a solid weekend for myself, also,” Larson said, referring to his start in the truck race the day before.  “I was able to do double duty this week, and I think that definitely helped me get my rhythm early in the weekend and better myself each time I was on the track.

    “Our car was way better than it has been here in the past. I felt like I learned a lot throughout that race. I was able to run behind great drivers here, AJ, Jimmie (Johnson) Kevin (Harvick), Kurt (Busch), (Brad) Keselowski, there was a lot of people that I could learn off of.  You know, this was — in the past it’s been my worst racetrack on the schedule, so to get a top-three finish here feels great, feels like a win, to be honest, and hopefully, this is a good momentum shift that we need. We’ve been struggling all year long so far and been working hard, but it hasn’t paid off.”

    Not surprising: Change the cars, change the tires, change the point system. The one constant in NASCAR, outside of Kevin Harvick winning at Phoenix, is that restarting on the outside line at Martinsville is not a good thing.

    Matt Kenseth and Harvick, after being up front almost the entire day, struggled to 15th and 17th respectively after being on the outside line on the last restart.

    It has been the story of the year for Kenseth. He has been fast every week but outside of a seventh at Phoenix has always faded back by the time the checkered flag waves.

    “Yeah, we had a great Dollar General Toyota today,” Kenseth said following the race. “We’ve had fast cars this year, but got shuffled to the back, so disappointing ending but it was an encouraging day. We ran really well, had great pit stops and they gave me fast cars. Hopefully, we’ll start getting some finishes soon.”

    Harvick did not speak to the media following the race.

    Surprising: Austin Dillon, at a track where he had a best finish of 12th going in, ended the day a strong fourth after a back and fourth battle between himself and teammate Paul Menard in the latter stages of the race.

    It has been a career year for the Richard Childress Racing driver, who has an average finish of 10.3 and has doubled his career number of top fives. He currently sits eighth in points. Dillon, however, puts most of the credit on his crew at RCR.

    “We just keep getting better every week,” Dillon said. “I didn’t like myself last year. I didn’t like who I was for the team. I was frustrated and I wanted to be better for these guys. When they step-up, they make me better. I’m trying to be different, but I’m not doing a lot of different stuff. They’re just building me a lot better race cars. Everybody back at the shop putting all those 80-hour weeks in, I hope you understand how important it is because you’re making it happen. I wish we had one more spot, but that was pretty darn cool.”

    Not surprising: Brad Keselowski has never won at Martinsville but has always been very consistent, with seven top 10s in 13 starts at “the Paperclip”.

    This didn’t change on Sunday when the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford finished fifth.

    “It was a good Martinsville race,” the 2012 Sprint Cup champion said. “We had a lot of speed with the Miller Lite Ford on the long runs, but just not quite enough on the short runs to make anything of the Gibbs cars. They were really strong all day. All in all, I’m real proud of my team. We’re starting to get to this place where we’re real consistent and can run up front and that’s a good feeling.”

    Next week, it’s the first night race of the season at the Texas Motor Speedway. Tune in Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. EST for the Duck Commander 500.

  • Hot 20 of the 40 making their way to the truly traditional race at Martinsville

    Hot 20 of the 40 making their way to the truly traditional race at Martinsville

    A full field. I may be a traditionalist in many ways, but a 40 car field seems about right to me now. It costs money to put a car on the track, to fit the templates, to run fast enough over a lap or two to qualify. That is even so when that auto is destined to simply start and park.

    Three fewer starting spots means an entry that has no intention to try will soon enough whither and die. It becomes too much of a gamble, leaving it to teams like the Wood Brothers, Premium, and the Motorsports Group to fill up any void, to grow, to matter. The No. 55 Premium owned car of Reed Sorenson makes its season debut. The 39 others have all attempted every race, with the No. 30 of Josh Wise and the No. 98 of Cole Whitt only missing the start at Daytona.

    If I were a strict traditionalist, I would love races decided by laps instead of inches, but I do not. A traditionalist would want a return to old stock cars, open masked helmets, a monkey in the cockpit or even concrete walls. I do not. What I want is to have Joe, Fireball, Tiny, Bobby, J.D., Clifford, John, Adam, Kenny, and Dale back.

    A traditionalist would subscribe to the notion that a driver can drive where ever he damn well pleases. Still, I think Kyle Busch and other Cup drivers have made the XFINITY series irrelevant, which is a damn shame. It irks me how much it steals from the public spotlight that should belong to up and comers like Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Ty Dillon, and Darrell Wallace Jr. If NASCAR instituted a “powder puff” division for women, hell, Kyle would probably want to run there, too.

    However, a traditionalist loves excellence. A traditionalist wants to see a king on top of the mountain and a field of challengers looking to knock him off the peak. There were some seasons it appeared that Richard Petty was competing against XFINITY drivers. Some might argue that, back in the day, he might have been. Some argue how bad it was for Jimmie Johnson to win five straight titles. I argue that it made it that much sweeter when someone came along good enough to take that title away.

    Martinsville reminds me of that. The three hottest of our Hot 20 have, between them, claimed 14 victories at Martinsville. Kevin Harvick has one of them. Denny Hamlin has five. Johnson? He would be the guy with eight to his credit over the course of his career. As a traditionalist, I like that. It gives the rest of them something to go after, something that would be really meaningful if they can accomplish it. Still, Johnson needs another seven just to tie Petty’s career total on the circuit that has been hosting such events since 1948. A traditionalist would love to see him do it.

    1 – JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS – 184 PTS
    Most successful driver of the 21st century, the best active driver competing at Martinsville.

    2 – KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN – 195 PTS
    A former champion, the leader in points, and still feels he has something to prove on Sunday.

    3 – DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 170 PTS
    I bet his grandfather clock was too large for the shelf, so it stood the past year on the floor.

    4 – BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 142 PTS
    If the future President Keselowski has to wear a sponsor covered fire-suit, shouldn’t politicians?

    5 – CARL EDWARDS – 171 PTS
    Averaging a seventh place finish every week is not bad.

    6T – KYLE BUSCH – 170 PTS
    Ditto. Now with no XFINITY race to worry about this weekend, the trucks, the trucks are calling.

    6T – JOEY LOGANO – 170 PTS
    Ditto that ditto. Now, as long as Kenseth doesn’t get mad at him this weekend…

    8 – KURT BUSCH – 148 PTS
    Will not be in the Indianapolis 500 this year. So, I guess that also means Monaco is out.

    9 – DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 145 PTS
    Will donate his brain for concussion research…but they should expect a very long wait.

    10 – AUSTIN DILLON – 139 PTS
    How a guy looks in a cowboy hat may depend on his ability, and he is looking better all the time.

    11 – MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 127 PTS
    Just the latest member of the “Joey is a Jerk” club.

    12 – JAMIE MCMURRAY – 125 PTS
    No truth to the report that he has insured his dimples for a million dollars.

    13 – ARIC ALMIROLA – 120 PTS
    You would think the ole No. 43 would be a favorite to win the STP 500.

    14 – RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 119 PTS
    Not everyone gets to escape from all his racing peers on a holiday, or wants to.

    15 – MATT KENSETH – 113 PTS
    If having a horrid season still has one sitting in a Chase place, just how horrid can it be?

    16T – RYAN BLANEY – 110 PTS
    When your son surpasses you, that is when a father knows just how great a job he has done.

    16T – CHASE ELLIOTT – 110 PTS
    If he used his given name, we would have yet another “Junior” on our hands.

    18 – KASEY KAHNE – 109 PTS
    I am guessing Ricky and Danica did not invite him over for Easter.

    19 – A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 108 PTS
    Might consider a return to IndyCar…once they put a roof on the auto and not before.

    20T – TREVOR BAYNE – 95 PTS
    Almost easy to dismiss the once promising rising star driving for Roush…but he is only 25.

    20T – RYAN NEWMAN – 95 PTS
    Wants more barrier protection for his pit crew…and on some tracks that shortfall is evident.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson got by Kevin Harvick on a late restart and won the Auto Club 400, giving him 77 career wins, one more than the late Dale Earnhardt.

    “’Superman’ was on my car today,” Johnson said, “and his superpowers seemed to rub off on me. Some say I leap tall buildings; others, like maybe Kevin Harvick, say I jump restarts.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick dominated at Fontana, leading 142 of 205 laps, but fell short after a late caution evaporated his sizable lead. Jimmie Johnson slipped by Harvick on the restart, leaving Harvick with another runner-up finish, his 15th in the last two seasons.

    “Unless it’s not a tenth of a second,” Harvick said, “I’m getting tired of hearing about seconds.

    3. Kyle Busch: Busch blew a tire late at Fontana on Sunday, the same fate he suffered in Saturday’s XFINITY Series race. Busch eventually finished 25th and dropped three places in the points standings.

    “I’m not sure what’s going on with our tires,” Busch said. “Is Goodyear peddling faulty rubber? It would take a real sales job to sell bad tires to an established racing team. So, who’s the real person with superpowers? Batman, Superman, or the Goodyear Pimp?

    “I gave NASCAR an earful after they refused to wave a caution flag when I blew the tire in the XFINITY race. Of course, they’ll levy a hefty fine on me I’m sure. But that’s okay. The Busch family ‘swear jar’ is a 55-gallon drum.”

    4. Carl Edwards: Edwards started fifth at Fontana and finished seventh, posting his fourth top 10 of the year.

    “The No. 19 Toyota was fast,” Edwards said, “but it just didn’t have the handling to put me over the top. I was fighting the steering wheel all day. I know my sponsor Subway would rather not hear these two particular words, but Sunday was a ‘hard drive.’”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch started 26th and started from the rear in a backup car, leading to a long day at Fontana. He finished 30th, the last car on the lead lap.

    “I got rammed by Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” Busch said, “and I’m angry. Junior had Batman on his car, which made me want to go ‘Robin’ on him, with a ‘trusty sidekick’ to the head.”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano took fourth in the Auto Club 400, scoring his second top-five finish of the year. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 30 out of first.

    “Hey,” Logano said, “I love Batman and Superman. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. showed me that it’s cool to have ‘Superfriends’ on their cars. Matt Kenseth showed me that it’s not so great to have an ‘Avenger’ in his car.”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished third at Fontana, posted his second consecutive third place finish. He is now fourth in the points standings, 25 out of first.

    “Kasey Kahne wrecked Danica Patrick,” Hamlin said, “and Danica was none too happy. I think it’s safe to say, despite all the images of Batman and Superman at the race, Patrick and Kahne won’t be ‘super friends.’

    “Me? I had my issues with Danica, and I’ve tried talking to her face to face to come to some resolution. It hasn’t always worked. Talking to Danica is like talking to a wall, a very pretty wall.”

    8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished 11th in the Auto Club 400 as Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson captured the win.

    “The No. 88 Chevrolet sported a ‘Batman’ theme in connection with the ‘Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice’ movie,” Earnhardt said. “And my merchandise tent did as well. We were selling any and everything that had a bat on it—hats, T-shirts, flags, all kinds of crap. You know my fans—they’ll go bat ‘S’ crazy over bat ‘S’ if it has my name on it.”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished ninth in the Auto Club 400, joining Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano, who finished fourth, in the top 10.

    “I love the way NASCAR is promoting the upcoming ‘Batman Vs. Superman’ movie,” Keselowski said. “I think most drivers would say this sport needs more heroes. Danica Patrick would say this sport needs more heroines. Jeremy Mayfield would say this sport needs more heroin.”

    10. Austin Dillon: Dillon started on the pole in the Auto Club 400 yet didn’t lead a single lap and finished a distant 24th. He is 10th in the points standings, 56 out of first.

    “The heck with Sunday’s race,” Dillon said. “Let’s talk about Saturday’s race. I won when Kyle Busch blew a tire and Daniel Suarez ran out of gas. I haven’t had a race handed to me like that by anyone other than my grandfather.”

  • The Final Word – Kyle removes the Kryptonite as Superman wins at Fontana

    The Final Word – Kyle removes the Kryptonite as Superman wins at Fontana

    Among the things I learned on Sunday from Fontana include…

    -you don’t tug on Superman’s cape.
    -you don’t spit into the wind.
    -you don’t put up for long with ole Lex Luthor
    -and you don’t mess around with Jim.

    Jimmie Johnson, that is. For most of the day, the field had to deal with Kevin (just call him Lex) Harvick, who led early and led often. About the only time he did not lead was when he unnecessarily came in early to dump a perfectly good set of tires in a vain bid to eliminate a vibration. Then he was back. In fact, he might have gotten away with it, if not for Kyle Busch.

    Busch was among a number of drivers that were relevant on the day and was running second when he discovered the limitations of the track. That came in the form of the outside wall after a tire indicated that it not longer wished to be of service. Caution waved, the Kryptonite was removed from the track, Busch was left in 25th, and this allowed for the possible finale moviegoers had hoped for.

    After the restart, Johnson moved down to the line, hugged it tightly, and came up to Harvick’s rear quarter-panel. A bit of side drafting tugged Luthor…ahem…Harvick…back enough to set Johnson sailing right by and into the lead. In the end, no super villain, no Kryptonite, not even Batman could stop the inevitable from happening. SuperJimmie won his 77th career victory and marked the 15th straight season that he was won at least twice during the campaign.

    As for Batman, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could not get by any of the jokers, penguins, or riddlers. He got up to the horizon, but never challenged, finishing 11th. By the way, Superman should always trump Batman. One is an alien who our sun bestows with superpowers while the other is an athletic rich guy with a lot of neat contraptions. No contest.

    Denny Hamlin finished third, and really was nowhere to be seen for the first 150 laps, but was visible in the end. Joey Logano was fourth on the day, was in the vicinity of the lead for much of the time, but probably was best remembered by Martin Truex Jr. as the guy who turned him enough to cause him to solidly tag the fence to turn a good day into 32nd. Also notable were Chase Elliott, who was fifth, while Carl Edwards came in just behind to record yet another solid effort.

    “I’m alright, it really hurt, though,” was the report from Kyle Larson after he lost a tire, touched the outside wall before experiencing a huge impact against the infield barrier that put him up where he did not belong. Danica Patrick was not Supergirl, but she went flying after Kasey Kahne turned her into the wall to demolish her entry. That set the Danica Line artificially to 38th on the day, just one behind Greg Biffle and just ahead of Larson.

    With his win, Johnson moves one ahead of Dale Earnhardt on the all-time list, sitting sixth behind Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Jeff Gordon, while he is eight wins away from passing by the likes of Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough. I do not think anyone is betting the farm against that happening this year, at least, not yet.

    The good news for the field is that Johnson will not win next week. Neither will Harvick, Hamlin, or Kyle Busch, all of whom have been writing headlines over the first five events. After a week off, they all return for Martinsville, a place Kyle Busch has never won. Harvick has just one, compared to Hamlin’s five. Then you have Superman, as one must ask themselves if eight is enough? Well, not if you are within just six wins of the great Cale Yarborough it’s not. Meanwhile, my best wishes to you over Easter.

  • Kevin Harvick Isn’t Leaving Stewart-Haas Anytime Soon

    Kevin Harvick Isn’t Leaving Stewart-Haas Anytime Soon

    With Stewart-Haas Racing switching to Ford in 2017, many seem surprised that Team Chevy staple Kevin Harvick is staying on through the switch. He’s been with Chevrolet since before signing on with Richard Childress Racing all those years ago, so to imagine him anywhere else is jarring, but considering that he’s adamant about sticking with SHR, why debate it?

    A recent BeyondTheFlag.com article by Christopher Olmstead does just that, claiming that it’s a possibility following the 2016 season if he doesn’t follow through with the option to renew for 2017. While the point is there that Harvick may opt out following 2016, is it likely? Not in the slightest. It would be a career-ending move as opposed as something to elevate his career – would it seriously need elevating?

    Olmstead implores readers to remember various instances, like when SHR co-owner Tony Stewart left Toyota after giving his word he was sticking with then-owner Joe Gibbs or when Kevin Harvick announced his departure from RCR. Granted, things may be promised one way only to go another way. It’s a well-known fact of racing life that things are sometimes unpredictable.

    But take into consideration what happened during Harvick’s first season with SHR: https://youtu.be/hcj96gs0L5k

    Take also into consideration that into his third season with SHR, he has managed to lead more laps in the No. 4 than he ever did in all his time as the driver of Childress’s No. 29. Take also into consideration that if things had gone a bit differently in 2015 he could have easily scored a career-high in wins, as he finished second an astounding 13 times. He’s been dominant in SHR equipment, so why would that change?

    On that note, look at Team Penske power. Hypothetically speaking, it’s a logical assumption to say that Penske will be collaborating with SHR in 2017. Penske is currently the best Ford team in NASCAR, bar none. On the Sprint Cup side of things, rookie Ryan Blaney has managed to make the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford more relevant than they’ve been in years. As for their star drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, let the stats speak for themselves.

    Since switching to Ford in 2013, Logano has 12 wins, 50 top-fives, and 71 top-10s in 112 starts. In that same amount of time, Keselowski has nine wins, 36 top-fives, and 63 top-10s. Do the math: SHR will not be hurting or suffering once they make the jump to Ford. Logano and Keselowski alone have accomplished more with Ford than what the entirety of SHR has done with Chevy, so it’s a safe bet that they won’t argue with whatever brings them more success.

    If Harvick is anything like Stewart, which – newsflash! – he is, then he’s thinking the same thing, and it isn’t manufacturer loyalty. He’s thinking about winning. Winning early, winning often, and winning championships. So with that being said, Harvick isn’t going anywhere.

  • Hot 20 – Johnson is again California dreaming while Harvick is staying with SHR…or is he?

    Hot 20 – Johnson is again California dreaming while Harvick is staying with SHR…or is he?

    Best damn finishes ever. Well, for two of the four events to date, that has been the headline for NASCAR in 2016. Daytona and Phoenix were decided by gaps measurable with a ruler, and that has to be a good thing. Hell, a great thing. That said, just how exciting has the visual been, what you and I see on the television prior to the final few laps? Pushing the fast forward button at Daytona was difficult, but it always is. As for the rest, the temptation has been there to quicken the action, if only for a few round and round laps.

    Kevin Harvick won last week by a hair over Carl Edwards. That was a good story. Rumblings that Harvick might bolt Stewart-Haas Racing when it abandons Chevrolet for Ford might be a better one. Oh, no, it is not going to happen, if you listened to the driver at Daytona. Funny, that was the same line Tony Stewart gave before he dashed away from Joe Gibbs when they went with Toyota. Mind you, this is different. For example, we are not hearing anything about anyone about to place Harvick’s name on the wall as a name partner any time soon, but the point is that today’s promise could always wind up broken.

    A piece by Beyond the Flag’s Christopher Olmstead does make one ponder, with sponsor deals with Busch Beer and Jimmy Johns coming to an end after this season and only an option of keeping Harvick for a season longer if push comes to shove. If he bails, some figure he could replace Kasey Kahne in the Rick Hendrick stable. Makes some sense. Still, there is a good chance that where there is Smoke there shall also be Harvick. Rumors can be fun, at least for the gossipers if not so much for the principles involved. Did we not once think a certain Hendrick driver would actually wind up driving for Richard Childress in a car his dad made famous? Nice story, different ending. It could be the same with this one.

    Here is hoping the racing at Fontana proves entertaining from start to middle, as well as the finish. Even more entertaining than any rumors. No doubt, a few of the drivers among our Hot 20 will be front and center this weekend, as Jimmy Johns might be replaced by Jimmie Johnson as Sunday’s center of attention. Now, why am I yearning for a sandwich about now?

    1. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN – 154 PTS
    In the words of Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, he is once again back up where he belongs.

    2. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 1 WIN – 140 PTS
    Expect no less than a Top Ten, as long as he has something more than vice-grips to steer with.

    3. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN – 131 PTS
    Last week he did not have a great performance, yet finished third. Sometimes okay is enough.

    4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN – 110 PTS
    Needed a bus at Phoenix, as everyone knows its wheels go round and round, not kaboom!

    5. KYLE BUSCH – 154 PTS
    3rd, 3rd, 4th, 4th kind of works as he goes forth.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 137 PTS
    At least, we have one Busch who knows why Big Leaguers do not regularly play Little League.

    7. CARL EDWARDS – 136 PTS
    Carl mattered in Phoenix, he will matter at Fontana.

    8. JOEY LOGANO – 127 PTS
    Life lesson #22: Gas and go…but get all the gas you can before you go.

    9. AUSTIN DILLON – 122 PTS
    A new generation is making its presence felt…but where are Newman and Menard?

    10. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 117 PTS
    A new manufacturer, trouble in inspection, a race without his crew chief…and all is well?

    11. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 115 PTS
    Would be much, much higher if Daytona had not been so much a disappointment.

    12. RYAN BLANEY – 104 PTS
    Some fly charter, some fly coach, and for some, it just does not matter.

    13. ARIC ALMIROLA – 100 PTS
    No matter where he goes to bed at night he always remains Almirola by morning.

    14. KASEY KAHNE – 96 PTS
    Beaten up by a loose air cooling hose in the car, finally beaten by a tire issue outside it.

    15. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 94 PTS
    Has never enjoyed a Top Ten season. Even in 2010 (Daytona 500/Brickyard) he finished 14th.

    16. MATT KENSETH – 90 PTS
    Relevant in every race, but just has had trouble before the end of every race…except for last week.

    17. KYLE LARSON – 85 PTS
    Not yet a Top 15 driver. Not yet.

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 83 PTS
    Even after the disaster that was Phoenix, he still is the best performer Roush-Fenway has.

    19. GREG BIFFLE – 76 PTS
    A mean handling car meant another long day for the Biff.

    20. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 75 PTS
    Average finish of 20th does not cut it, but it beats Trevor, Chase, Danica, Ryan, Paul, Clint…

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch finished fourth at Phoenix to post his fourth top-five finish of the season. He is tied with Kevin Harvick for the lead in the Sprint Cup points standings.

    “I’m surprised Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick both didn’t wreck each other before they reached the finish line,” Busch said. “I think it would have made for great controversy, although their cars would have been torn up. But I would have been more than happy to pick up the pieces.

    “As for being co-leader in the points, there’s only thing I care to share with Harvick, and that’s mutual hatred.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick battled Carl Edwards door to door over the final lap at Phoenix and held on to win the Good Sam 500 by .01 seconds.

    “I was surprised I was able to hold off Edwards,” Harvick said. “He may have had fresh tires, but I had a flag that said, ‘Don’t tread on me.’”

    3. Carl Edwards: Despite having fresh right-side tires for the final restart at Phoenix, Edwards was unable to complete the pass on Kevin Harvick, instead losing by .01 seconds.

    “Harvick and I traded a lot of paint,” Edwards said. “We were racing so close, I felt like I could have reached over and grabbed him by the throat. The only thing that’s clashed harder than our cars is our personalities.”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 11th at Phoenix after starting in a backup car, due to a wreck in Friday’s qualifying.

    “My steering wheel literally came loose in my hands,” Johnson said. “I guess that would be the most severe case of ‘losing your handling.’ And what an impact. I haven’t ‘hit a wall’ like that since right after winning my sixth championship.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch finished sixth in the Good Sam 500, recording his fourth top 10 of the year. He is fourth in the points standings, 17 out of first.

    “That’s a top 10 in each race this year,” Busch said. “That’s called consistency, which is a word that is not used very often to describe me, particularly the history of my mental state.”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano finished 18th at Phoenix after his crew failed to fill his fuel tank on what should have been his final pit stop. Logano was forced to pit for a splash of gas, which likely cost him a top 10.

    “I thought for sure we got all the fuel in,” Logano said. “Even Matt Kenseth would vouch for that fact—he said I ‘was full of it.’”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started third at Phoenix, part of a 1-2-3 Joe Gibbs Racing sweep in qualifying, and finished third, posting his first top-five since winning the Daytona 500.

    “What a finish between Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards,” Hamlin said. “I think many people are surprised that Edwards didn’t send Harvick into the wall to get past him, as NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt would have done. But let’s be serious. Only one person considers Edwards the ‘Intimidator,’ and that’s Matt Kenseth.”

    8. Austin Dillon: Dillon took ninth in the Good Sam 500, posting his third top-10 result of the year.

    “It was an otherwise lousy day for Richard Childress Racing,” Dillon said. “My teammates Ryan Newman and Paul Menard finished last and next-to-last. Both suffered right-front tire failures. Some will ask: ‘Who blows more? The tires, or the drivers?’ In any case, Ryan and Paul will always have a job with RCR, probably as the guys who scuff the surface of new tires, because they’re scrubs.”

    9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt came home fifth at Phoenix, the top finisher among Hendrick Motorsports drivers.

    “It’s too bad it didn’t end with tempers flaring,” Earnhardt said. “That would have made for a perfect ‘March Mad-ness’ tie-in.”

    10. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski suffered a blown right-rear tire on lap 226 at Phoenix, and the resulting damage left the No. 2 Penske Ford with a 29th-place finish.

    “What an entertaining finish,” Keselowski said. “Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick put on quite a show. Rest assured, when those two are battling for something, it’s definitely not a popularity contest. I really would have loved to have been part of an Edwards-Harvick duel, preferably as the guy that says, ‘Take 10 paces, turn, and fire.’”

  • The Final Word – Harvick rises like a phoenix at Phoenix from the tears of Edwards

    The Final Word – Harvick rises like a phoenix at Phoenix from the tears of Edwards

    A phoenix rises from the ashes to be reborn. In Phoenix, Kevin Harvick rose from the tears of Carl Edwards to once again become the Cactus King, the driver to beat at Phoenix.

    In November of 2012, Harvick won his first at that track. The next spring, the winner was Edwards. Last fall, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the victor. The four in between were all claimed by the man who has been victorious in six of the past eight events run in Arizona. That is domination, but it was close on Sunday. Very close.

    Harvick had the dominant car on the day. Oh, what a surprise that was. However, he came to the overtime dash to the finish on four used tires, compared to the two fresh ones underneath Edwards. Underneath is where the gent went to make the pass, but Edwards did not get a clean get away. Side by side, fender to fender, fender into fender they came to the stripe, with Harvick taking it by a head. My head, if I had been foolish enough to have had it laying on the track, just 0.01 of a second for the closest outcome ever at this track, one of the closest finishes on any track, at any time.

    Edwards was no slacker on the day, sitting among the top three pretty much from start to finish. He was the guy who was chasing Kyle Busch over the first 60 laps of this thing. Even a little miss on pit road did not derail Busch for long, as he concluded the event in fourth. Denny Hamlin was third, even after an early stop saw a tire roll away to find him penalized from fourth to 26th at the time. Earnhardt (5th) and Kurt Busch (6th) were also among the notables on the day, with young Chase Elliott bringing it home in eighth.

    Sometimes being tired equates into being fatigued, adding new rubber in the pits, or having them fail to send one into the wall. Ryan Newman (39th) was the first casualty just over 50 laps into the race, and every fifty laps or so after somebody else got bit. Next up was Paul Menard (38th), to be followed by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (37th), but the exploding tread from Brad Keselowski (29th) was the most spectacular failure.

    The Danica Patrick Line last Sunday was drawn at 19th, one place behind Joey Logano, who had a fuel intake issue that forced a late stop for juice, and Matt DiBenedetto in 20th.

    The good news for everybody is the fact Harvick has not won at Fontana for the past five years. From 2004-2010, they visited the California venue twice, allowing the likes of Jimmie Johnson (5), and Matt Kenseth (3) to pick up a bunch of wins. Harvick and Tony Stewart have won there since they returned to a one and done situation, with Kyle winning twice before Keselowski took it last spring.

    Those last two might be considered decent selections for the prognosticators, but remember that since 2006 Johnson has finished outside the Top 15 just once over the past 15 starts at Fontana. With both Edwards and Kenseth also boasting Top Ten averages, the track could live up to the community’s motto as the “City of Action.” I can live with that.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Good Sam 500 At Phoenix

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Good Sam 500 At Phoenix

    After one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, here was what was surprising and not surprising from the 12th Annual Good Sam 500.

    Surprising: Kevin Harvick’s victory at Phoenix came by just inches over Carl Edwards.

    Coming out of turn four, Edwards and Harvick were side by side. Edwards slammed into Harvick once but didn’t wreck him. Harvick was still able to get a nose ahead of “Cousin Carl” at the finish line.

    The finish was one of the closest margins of victory in NASCAR history at .010 second. It’s tied with Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s victory over Bobby Labonte at Atlanta in 2000, Matt Kenseth’s win over Kasey Kahne in the final Cup race at Rockingham in 2004, and this year’s Daytona 500 with Denny Hamlin scooting past Martin Truex Jr. All are ranked 7th on the all-time finishes, with Ricky Craven’s now legendary Darlington win still at the top spot at .002 second.

    Edwards was left at the end of the race jovial but still wondering what if.

    “I should’ve wrecked him,” Edwards said with a laugh. “No, those guys were doing a great job all day. They hung on with those tires but we were faster so I thought, ‘Man, I’ll just move him out of the way and get by.’

    “I just didn’t move him far enough and then he got up the door and I thought I was trying to time — I thought ‘I think he’s going to beat me.’ So, I tried to sideswipe him before he got there but I needed to be in front of his front tire.”

    Not Surprising: On paper, however, it seemed to be just another dominant Kevin Harvick race at Phoenix. It’s his sixth win in the last eight and eighth overall, the most of any other driver in history at the track below “Rattlesnake Hill.” Harvick took the lead on lap 239 and held it for the final 79 laps.

    It’s Harvick’s first victory since Dover last fall and his 32nd overall. The 2014 champion is now tied with Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett ranked 19th on the all-time wins list.

    On the final caution period before NASCAR overtime, Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Austin Dillon decided not to pit. It ended up working out for Harvick after he edged Edwards, who pitted for two tires.

    “I had no idea that the cars behind me had two tires,” the driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet said. “I never asked… I was fully expecting everything that I got, but I just needed to be able to get knocked up the track far enough to be able to put the throttle back down. Maybe a little bit too defensive.

    “I missed the bottom with the way that the rubber had built up on the racetrack, it just kind of walked up the track and he was able to hold the bottom and able to get to the left rear, and I felt like I got back to the throttle even soon enough to be able to hold him off, but I was kind of a couple feet behind and was able to kind of scrub against his door a little bit to slow him back down, and by the time he’d realized that he was going to be behind, we had carried the momentum by him and we were at the start‑finish line.”

    If Harvick were in Edward’s shoes, though, he’d of done just what Edwards had done.

    “I would have done the same thing, and really after the race that’s exactly what we said to each other,” Harvick said when asked about how Edwards raced him. ” That’s really what NASCAR racing is all about. You’re coming to the checkered flag and he wants to win for his team and I want to win for my team, and there’s a lot on the line. It’s definitely the way that things should have been done.”

    Surprising: After not even making it out of the first round of qualifying, Dale Earnhardt Jr. rebounded on Sunday and scored a nice fifth-place finish. Did “Junebug” have any regrets on not pitting on the final restart, though?

    “Yeah, I was surprised we finished as good as we did,” Earnhardt Jr. said.  “I thought that was a good move to not pit.  If a couple more guys don’t pit and we get another guy on the outside in the second row we was in good shape.”

    Not Surprising: One recurring story were the tire failures throughout the day. All five cautions were for tire failures.

    Ryan Newman was the first to go, smacking the Turn 3 wall just 52 laps into the race. Newman couldn’t continue and finished last (39th) for the day. Paul Menard was the second victim, finishing 38th after a blow-out on lap 106. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s good start to the 2016 season ended with a blowout on lap 164 and a finish of 37th.

    Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne both had blowouts but were able to continue on. Keselowski didn’t hit the wall after blowing his tire on lap 226 but soldiered on to finish 27th. Finally, Kasey Kahne slammed the Turn 3 wall on lap 307, which caused the final caution that set up the NASCAR Overtime finish. Kahne finished 22nd.

    Goodyear blamed brake heat causing the tire beads to go out. Goodyear is trying this season to bring softer tires to each racetrack following rave reviews last year at Darlington. With softer tires, one had to figure a race like Phoenix would come around eventually.

    Surprising: Joey Logano ran in the top 10 for much of the day before running out of fuel near the end of the race. Logano pitted just a couple of laps before Kahne wrecked and brought out the caution. Logano ended up languishing a lap down in 18th.

    Following the race, Logano was clear that the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford is a little behind and needs to play catch-up.

    “We need to clean up the mistakes we have had here at the beginning of the season on everybody’s front,” Logano said. “We still have speed. We were close today.

    “At times it felt like we were a third-place car, and we were running up there around third. We just still have work to do to catch the 4 and 19, they were the class of the field.”

    Not Surprising: Although they ended up playing the bridesmaid today, Joe Gibbs Racing is still consistently ahead of much of the field.

    After sweeping the top three positions in qualifying. JGR’s four cars finished second, third, fourth, and seventh on Sunday. Denny Hamlin recovered from somewhat of a slump since winning the Daytona 500 by finishing third while Kyle Busch started on the pole and led 75 laps before finishing the day fourth. Matt Kenseth also finally had a good finish this season in seventh.

    However, it’s clear they all want a little more.

    “Yes and no,” Busch said after being asked if he was happy with his start to the season. Busch has four top fives in four starts but no wins and is tied for the points lead with Kevin Harvick. “You could be happy with top-five and you could be happy with running up front and doing those things. Those are the things you’re supposed to do, but ultimately we’ve got to get to victory lane.

    “We’re close. We’ll see if we can hit one here on the west coast swing, maybe next week in California, and put ourselves in [the Chase].”

    The Sprint Cup Series wraps up its west coast swing next weekend at Fontana, California. Expect plenty of three and four wide racing at the two-mile oval as coverage starts for the Auto Club 400 at 3 p.m ET on FOX.